Course Context
Aims and Rationale of the course
• BTEC National Extended Diploma (three A levels equivalent)
The aims of the BTEC National in TV and Film are to develop student’s
interest in the production and manufacture of media texts within the film
and TV industry, and to develop their skills in those productions. This is
done through:• Investigation of a number of media formats including: animation,
trailers, advertisements, short films, generic programs, music video
and documentaries.
• Introduction to a range of theories within these industries: these
include theories of genre, representation, audiences, narrative, etc.
• The introduction and development of skills in pre and post production
such as: writing treatments, writing scripts, storyboarding sequences,
completing location surveys, compiling research that will inform your
final production.
• Building skills in the use of hardware including: digital video cameras,
boom microphones, tripods, stills cameras and lighting.
• The introduction and development of skills in digital editing and print
production through the use of software packages.
• Developing analytical reflections through the assessment of your own
work and that of your peers (in a critically constructive manner).

How the BTEC National is assessed

The programmes of study are taught through a range of assignments that
are assessed on specific units attached to them (usually one or two) which
the assignments have been designed to meet. Each unit has several
learning outcomes that must be met to complete and gain a grade for each
unit (pass / merit / distinction). Failure to gain a grade in at least one unit
will result in the failure of whichever overall BTEC qualification you are
working towards next. At the beginning of each of the assignments,
students will receive an Assignment Brief, which will detail that tasks
involved what to do to meet the assessment criteria and strict deadline
dates.
â&#x20AC;˘ BTEC National Extended Diploma (19 Units covered)

How the qualification is graded
This overall qualification is graded on the Scale of: Pass, Merit and
Distinction, at the end of the two year course, the final qualification is
equivalent to 3 A levels
Here is a table to summarise each qualifications equivalency outcomes:
Advanced
Diploma
(3 A Level)
Final
A Level
Grade Equivalent
F
U
PPP
EEE
MPP
CEE
MMP
CCE
MMM
CCC
DMM
ACC
DDM
AAC
DDD
AAA
D*DD
A* A A
D*D*D
A* A* A
D*D*D* A* A* A*

Units and Modules
The BTEC National is taught through a number of assignments depending
on the type of qualification. All of these assignments have a vocational
context, meaning that they comparable to work that would be set a
company or freelance operative when working in the Film and TV business.
Each of these assignments outlines: the individual task that is set; how the
task meets the marking criteria what is needed to be done in order to
reach certain grades; the evidence of work and planning that is expected
to be achieved by the end of the assignment; the assignment deadline.
Each unit is split into several (3-5 Learning Outcomes). When a project is
marked each of these Learning Outcomes receives an individual grade
depending on the evidence which addresses this. The overall grade for that
unit is the lowest individual Learning Outcome grade. For example, if a
student has 1 Distinction, 1 Merit and 1 Pass for a unit that has three
learning outcomes, the current grade of this unit (and this unit may be
revisited again in future) is a pass, as this is the grade of the lowest
learning outcome. Some units may be revisited more than once to
guarantee achieving higher grade, class wide. Most projects will consist of
two units (never more).
Here is a list of the projects that contribute towards each level of
qualification, the units that are taught and assessed through them, and
how many weeks are dedicated to each:

Qualification: BTEC National Extended Diploma (3 A Level)
Project

Unit
Name

No

Weeks

Year 1
Interview
Zombie Film

Music Video

Audio Foley

Script & Research

Government Advert

Corporate Video

2

Communication Skills for Creative Media Production

2

1

Pre-Production Techniques for the Creative Media
Industries

6

22

Single Camera Techniques

1

Pre-Production Techniques for the Creative Media
Industries

29

Music Video Production

2

Communication Skills for Creative Media Production

38

Soundtrack Production for the Moving Image

3

Research Techniques for the Creative Media Industries

24

Writing for Television and Video

8

Understanding the Television & Film Industries

30

Advertisement Production for Television

5

Working to a Brief in the Creative Media Industries

28

Corporate and Promotional Programme Production

4

4

7

7

7

Year 2
Film Trailer

Film Noir

Animation

Kids TV Show
Points of View
Documentary

4

Creative Media Production Management

16

Film and Video Editing Techniques

1

Pre-Production Techniques for the Creative Media
Industries

23

Multi Camera Techniques

2

Communication Skills for Creative Media Production

33

Stop Motion Animation Production

1

Pre-Production Techniques for the Creative Media
Industries

37

Presentation Techniques for Broadcasting

6

Critical Approaches to Creative Media Products

27

Factual Programme Production Techniques for Television

36

Interview Techniques for Creative Media Production

7

5

4

4
5
8

Lesson Times
This course is taught through 13 hours a week of in class tuition and
supervised production over the course of two years, culminating at the end
of those two years in the BTEC National Extended Diploma (3 A Level
equivalency). As well as these 13 hours a further 1 ½ hours will be added
for Tutor and Tutor related Personal Progress Meetings (14 ½ hours
altogether).

Staff Teaching on the Course
Those teaching on the course are:
Ian Burnett – Teacher of BTEC National in Media (Year 1 & Year 2)
ib@wilberforce.ac.uk
Stewart Markham – Teacher of BTEC National in Media (Year 1 & Year
2), and AS & A2 Communication & Culture.
ssm@wilberforce.ac.uk
Gareth Tully – Teacher of BTEC National in Media (Year 1 & Year 2), and
BTEC First in Media.
gvt@wilberforce.ac.uk
Robin Makey – Teacher of BTEC National in Media (Year 1), BTEC First in
Media, AS & A2 Film Studies, and GCSE Media Studies.
rnm@wilberforce.ac.uk
Phillipa Chan - Teacher of BTEC National in Media (Year 1), BTEC First in
Media, AS Media Studies, and AS Film Studies.

pec@wilberforce.ac.uk

Homework
Once each of the assignments has begun, students will be expected to be
spending 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3 hours a week, continuing the physical production and
paperwork. Bearing in mind the time and production constraints for each
project it would be impossible to purely complete each piece of work using
only the allotted time within designated lessons â&#x20AC;&#x201C; development work
outside of these sessions is absolutely essential.
This will be particularly significant when it comes to filming the
productions. Students will often want to film their productions outside of
college in their own time as it will allow them film in a range of locations
other than the college.
All of the resources and help sheets can be found under their specific their
specific qualification, year and assignment names on Moodle, the collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
interactive learning environment.

Materials and Resources
The college will provide all of the hardware (cameras etc) and software
(computer programs) along with the Assignment Briefs and other learning
materials. Students will be expected to attend college with a pen and
paper at the minimum. The acquisition of a pen drive or portable harddrive would be a benefit but certainly not a requirement of the course.
These are available for competitive prices at the college library.
College will provide each student registered on the BTEC National in Media
a Media Loan Card that is required in order to book out a piece of
equipment from the colleges IT services Department. There is a series of
rules and regulations regarding the booking out of media equipment from

the college: these will be presented to the students within the first week of
starting.

IT facilities/software used
The majority of the course is taught in two fully equipped computer suites
as well as some time being spent in traditional class rooms. The computer
suites are equipped with computer software that will be used on the
course: Sony Vegas 10 – ‘Platinum Edition’ (digital editing package);
Microsoft Word; Microsoft Excel; Microsoft PowerPoint; Microsoft Publisher;
Stop Motion Pro and Adobe Photoshop CS2.
There is a range of software that is also available within college: digital
video cameras, digital stills cameras, tripods, boom microphones, steady
cams camera tracking and headphones.
These items can be rented out from the IT Help Desk in College once
students have their college Media Loan Card (see above).

Study Support
Whatever course you’ve chosen, and whatever level you’re studying at,
there is a good chance that at some point during your time at college there
will be something you need a little help with, and our drop in and one-toone study support sessions are available for exactly this reason.
Sessions can be short or long term depending on your needs and study
support
tutors are available to help with virtually any course as well as providing
support for those with more specific needs such as dyslexia, time
management or organisation difficulties.
For more information please call either Jill Naylor or Lesley Hodgson on

01482 711688 or visit us in A103 in the Study Centre. We will be happy to
help!

Punctuality
Students will be expected to arrive promptly and on time throughout the
year. Arriving at the beginning of the lesson during the group production
stage will help the class teacher to speak to the whole class before specific
groups will be continuing with work. Failure to attend may result in missing
vital information necessary to the completion of the current project.
Student with continued poor punctuality may be placed on a NTI (Notice to
Improve), and monitored further.
As the class will be in groups it is essential that college is informed if there
is to be an absence from the lesson, which will enable the group to make
other arrangements for the completion of work.

Assessment/Target setting
Students will be closely monitored by the teachers throughout the
production of the assignments.
There is an interim assessment (sometimes 2 interim reports in the case
longer projects) that is detailed in the differing Assignment Briefs, which is
in place to make sure that students are making the progress expected
throughout their assignments in terms of the completion of task and their
quality.
Students will receive a grade after each of the assignment set, this will be
displayed on a tracking system that will be placed on Moodle, the Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
interactive learning environment, so that students will be able to keep track
of their progress, and gauge their distance to their desired final grade.

Health and Safety
Each student will be given training on the use of cameras and tripods
before they are released into the care of students. If any problems
occur with the equipment, students should contact the IT helpdesk as
soon as possible (ithelpdesk@wilberforce.ac.uk) .

If you have any concerns regarding the above please email or speak to:
Robin Makey

rnm@wilberforce.ac.uk

Stewart Markham

ssm@wilberforce.ac.uk

Ian Burnett

ib@wilberfore.ac.uk

Gareth Tully

gvt@wilberforce.ac.uk

Phillipa Chan

pec@wilberforce.ac.uk

A note about PLAIGARISM
Coursework and homework are a substantial and important part of this course. It
is important that everything you submit as your own work is your own work.
Passing off the work and ideas of others as your own is plagiarism and cheating.
Upon completion of all projects you must submit a hard copy of your completed
brief including a signed authentication statement. This statement declares that
all work produced for this project is your own (or as part of a larger group â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if
that is how you are working).
Please remember:

-

We have discovered instances of Plagiarism in work submitted.
Usually the work of a professional film / media reviewer or
University professor is fairly easy to spot slipped into the essay of
16-18 year old. Key phrases stolen from the internet can easily be
traced back to the source.

-

If we are at all suspicious that any part of your submitted
coursework is not your own we will investigate further through
research or Internet Google search.

-

Other peoples work can be used in the case of secondary
researched as long as it is fully acknowledged and referenced where
appropriate. Failure to do so still counts as plagiarism.

-

If we discover any instances of plagiarism in a student’s work we will
waste no further time in assessing that work. Let’s face it – it’s not
yours…

-

Sometimes plagiarism does escape our attention but it is identified
by the moderator from the exam board. If this happens they
always investigate. Depending on the extent of the plagiarism you
will lose marks or may get a zero for that unit or indeed the whole
course.

- Any direct quote from a magazine or book or website must have
“inverted commas” around it and be clearly referenced in brackets or
a bibliography.